Furthermore, Yadis specifies how to use the Yadis URL to retrieve a service descriptor called Yadis Resource Descriptor. This descriptor follows the XRDS format and connects several services, like authentication or authorization to the Yadis URL. Each service description can have further parameters.

Yadis is really a discoveryprotocol was spearheaded by Brad Fitzpatrick, David Recordon (then both at Six Apart) and Johannes Ernst and Joaquin Miller (then both at NetMesh), in order to create an extensible foundation for user-centric, decentralized, webidentity.[2]

Over a period of several months, with the involvement of several dozen other individuals, the Yadis 1.0 specification was created and widely implemented on the web.

The Yadis specification provides:

A general purpose identifier for persons and any other entities, which can be used in a variety of services.

A syntax for a resource description document identifying services available using that identifier and an interpretation of the elements of that document.

A protocol for obtaining that resource description document, given that identifier.

Together these enable coexistence and interoperation of a rich variety of services using a single identifier. The identifier uses a standard syntax and a well-established namespace; it requires no additional namespace administration infrastructure. When a User offers a Yadis ID to a Relying Party, that Relying Party will want to discover which services are available using that Yadis ID.